“Tech Titans on notice as EU antitrustprobes loom”
The much anticipatedDigital Markets Actis set to make its mark as sources reveal the European Commission is planning to deploy its new powers to scrutinize some of the biggest players in the tech industry. Apple, Meta and Google which have faced antitrust probes in the past are in line for further investigations according to people familiar with the matter.
The Commission is expected to formally announce in coming days that probes will be launched against these tech giants under the new Digital Markets Act legislation. Using its expanded authority over large online platforms, the regulators will assess whether the companies have infringed rules around unfair practices like restricting rivals access or self-preferencing their own services.
Key decisions from the investigations are intended to be delivered before the tenure of EU's powerful antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager concludes in November. Vestager has been a tough overseer of big tech unwaveringly imposing billion dollar fines for antitrust violations in the past. The new probes signal EU's commitment to maintain watchdog over tech platforms and ensure fair competition in digital markets.
Any adverse findings from the investigations could lead to hefty penalties for non-compliance and orders to take remedial actions to curb anti-competitive behavior. The scrutiny continues a theme of robust antitrust enforcement against Silicon Valley that has now expanded into new domains with the implementation of Digital Markets Act. Tech firms will be keeping a close watch as theEU probes couldhave major ramifications for their businessesmodels across European markets.
 and Google are expected to be scrutinized by EU regulators using powers granted under the newly introduced Digital Markets Act.){kind=link}